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Controversial kitty: Felix stopped returning to his owner, so she took her neighbour to Dutch court

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
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Controversial kitty: Felix stopped returning to his owner, so she took her neighbour to Dutch court

There are a lot of weird laws in the Netherlands but not one of them includes guidelines about pet ownership. Consequently, some pretty — shall we say interesting? — cases can come before the court.

Recently, the owner of the cat Felix sued a neighbour who’d been feeding and keeping the cat inside his house. When Felix stopped coming home, she accused the neighbour of stealing him and took it to the district judge in Leiden, reports RTL Nieuws.

What was the verdict?

First of all, it should be pointed out that Felix’s owner was within her rights to take it to court. In the Netherlands, district courts deal with all sorts of disputes between neighbours — from broken fences to pets. 🤷‍♀️

In this case, the district judge ruled in favour of Felix’s owner, agreeing that the neighbour was in the wrong to feed and keep Felix on his property. According to the ruling, the neighbour has to return Felix immediately and is not allowed to welcome the cat back into his house. Otherwise, he’ll be facing some pretty hefty penalties…

But cats are independent — what if Felix goes back to the neighbour?

Firstly, if the neighbour doesn’t return Felix he’ll have to a fine of €1000. But what if Felix decides to return to the neighbour after being brought to his owner? Well, in that case, the neighbour just has to make sure Felix doesn’t come into his house — or it’ll be one expensive visit.

Namely, he’ll have to pay €100 per day that Felix stays in his house.

A “striking” but not unique case

In the Netherlands, more and more cases about pets are coming before district judges, says Laira Boissevain who specialises in practical animal law. “If you let someone else’s cat sleep and feed in your house, you are not punishable,” says Boissevain. “You are only punishable if you break the law.”

The tricky thing about cases involving pets is that our furry friends are very loosely registered in the Netherlands, meaning it can be difficult to prove ownership. This is especially the case with cats as we all know they tend to do, well, whatever they want really.

As a result, there’s not much consistency in how these cases are handled. Boissevain says that one judge will look at a proof of purchase and photos of the supposed owner together with the pet, while another may not. “That really differs per judge.”

With Felix, the legal ownership was not heavily disputed and the judge simply assumed the woman who sued was the owner.

Are new pet laws needed in the Netherlands?

Boissevain argues that there should be better ways to establish the ownership of pets in the Netherlands. Until that’s possible, she encourages neighbours to make good agreements with each other about their pets.

What do you think of Felix’ case? Tell us in the comments below!

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No coronavirus certificate? Checks in foreign airports not watertight

Jen Lorimer 🇿🇼
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No coronavirus certificate? Checks in foreign airports not watertight

Since Sunday travel advice has changed. More travellers returning to the Netherlands from their holidays are now expected to show proof of vaccination or a negative test certificate. However, spot checks at Eindhoven Airport found that some people got through foreign airports without sufficient evidence.

The NOS reports that as of this weekend, travellers must show a coronavirus certificate when returning from a number of popular holiday destinations. This is extended to countries that are colour coded “yellow”, such as France, Greece, and Spain.

Random spot checks in Dutch airports

Random checks are carried out at the gates by the Security Regions at various Dutch airports.

Lax checking in foreign airports

In recent months, up to 5% of the travellers at Eindhoven Airport have been unable to show the necessary documentation. This means that airline desks at airports in other countries have allowed passengers onboard without proof of vaccination or a negative test — these passengers shouldn’t have been allowed to board.

Despite this, the percentage of passengers travelling without coronavirus certificates has decreased recently.

Which airlines are these?

Through its own investigation, NOS Nieuwsuur has established that the airline Transavia didn’t carry out checks on at least two flights from Spain last week.

Transavia responded that all of their employees at foreign airports have been trained and reminded about the procedures. They asserted that cases like this will be picked up and dealt with immediately.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Tell us in the comments below!

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More Eurostar services from Amsterdam-London could be on the cards (finally!)

Chloe Lovatt 🇬🇧
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More Eurostar services from Amsterdam-London could be on the cards (finally!)

Been dreaming of Buckingham Palace? Well, you can finally go see Lizzie’s gaff now that England has changed rules for travellers entering from the EU. Due to this change, Eurostar is adding more services between Paris and London this month — and Amsterdam could be next on the list.

A spokesperson from Eurostar has confirmed that there will be more weekend services running to the UK in the second half of August, the hope is that Amsterdam may also see more frequent trains to London.

This is after England has changed rules regarding quarantine for passengers arriving from France on Sunday. These relaxations already apply to passengers arriving from the Netherlands.

Eurostar suffered from coronavirus

The increase in services is hoped to help Eurostar’s economic recovery. The international railway company made a huge loss since the outbreak of coronavirus. According to DVHN, passenger numbers fell by 95%, and Eurostar reduced its services to one return between London and Amsterdam a day.

UK quarantine rules for passengers from the Netherlands

You can now hop on over to the UK without having to quarantine — if you’re fully vaccinated. Travellers from the Netherlands need to provide a negative coronavirus test within three days of their departure, complete a day two test when they arrive in the UK, and provide proof of vaccination to avoid quarantine. It looks like the UK government aren’t making it easy! 😅

Those who cannot provide proof of vaccination, such as the Digital Coronavirus Certificate, can still enter the country but will have to quarantine for ten days.

Will you be hopping on a train to London? Where else would you like to see more services running? Let us know in the comments!

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Ready, set, barbeque: Dutch summer is back for a limited time only

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
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Ready, set, barbeque: Dutch summer is back for a limited time only

After weeks of unstable weather, we’re all looking with longing at the few sunrays that now and then sneak out from behind the clouds — and finally it looks like they’ll make a full appearance!

Yup, it’s time to get out the barbeque set and the beach towel, because summer is returning to the Netherlands! From Wednesday, the weather will be warm and dry, reports the NOS.

A high pressure area starts kicking in this evening

Although today will begin with rain and a chance of thunderstorms, the weather is expected to change during the day. The sky will clear up from the southwest of the country as a high-pressure area takes its place over Europe.

The high-pressure area calms down the atmosphere and causes temperatures to rise — essentially giving Mother Nature a chill pill and a warm hug.

From Wednesday onwards, we’ll really see the effects of this as it’ll be dry almost throughout the country (yes, it’s possible!). In the west, it’ll be 21-23 degrees while those living in the South and the East can enjoy up to 25 degrees.

Two day summer

Thursday and Friday will see the real summer set in across the Netherlands. Though there’ll be some clouds on Thursday, it’ll be 25-27 degrees. The highest temperatures will once again be found in the southeast of the country, while the coastal regions are expected to stay slightly cooler.

Friday, you can finally bust the sun lotion back out. It won’t be as warm as Thursday but a comfortable 22-25 degrees and lots of sun — whoop whoop!

Blink and you’ll miss it! Alright, it’s not that bad but it does seem like the nice weather unfortunately isn’t here to stay.

Saturday and Sunday the temperatures will drop down to the low 20s and there’s a chance of occasional showers. After the weekend, a low-pressure area will take the place of the high-pressure one — meaning summer could be over by next week.

How will you be spending the upcoming sunny days? Tell us in the comments below!

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The Netherlands may face higher sea level rises than global average

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
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The Netherlands may face higher sea level rises than global average

According to a newly released report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the rise of the global sea level will increase over the coming decades and centuries — this is hardly news.

However, the report also highlights that in the Netherlands, 50-90% of sea-level rise will be caused by meltwater from Antarctica. The Antarctic ice sheet is sensitive to warming ocean water and will melt at an accelerated pace if global warming is too high.

If there’s continued high temperatures by 2100, Dutchies will have to deal with 8% more rise in sea levels than the global average, reports NU.nl.

So sea levels could rise faster?

“Faster melt in Antarctica may give an extra 10 centimetres of sea-level rise in the second half of the century, but it could rise very quickly around the turn of the century,” explains the lead author of the part of the report concerned with sea levels, Aimée Slangen from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.

Initially, that seems like a small difference but in a situation with highly increasing temperatures, sea levels could have risen by two metres around 2150.

While it’s difficult to wrap something as complex as ice sheet mass loss into neat theories and predictions, one thing is clear: “The future of the Netherlands depends entirely on the contribution of Antarctica,” says Sybren Drijfhout from the KNMI and Utrecht University, who also co-wrote the report. 

Is it really that bad?

An initial glance at the report gives a quite positive view of the development of rising sea levels. Since the last report in 2013, the numbers have changed very little. Based on new calculations, the UN expects sea levels to rise 32 to 101 centimetres this century (depending on CO2 emissions). This is only a few centimetres more than previously expected.

However, calculating the expected rise of sea levels is no easy task and Slangen warns that the ice caps of Greenland and Antarctica could be melting much faster.

Besides, the figures in the report are lower bounds. Over the course of a century, there is an uncertainty margin of one to five metres. 

A challgenge that dykes can’t solve

While the Dutch have already proven their mastery of the sea, there are limits to what traditional measurements can do.

If the sea level rises by more than one or two metres, dykes and sand nourishments won’t be of much help. Instead, new innovations would have to be found for this lovely land below sea level to survive. 

How do you think the Netherlands will deal with rising sea levels? Tell us in the comments below!

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TeamNL makes Dutch Olympic history: most medals ever won by the Netherlands

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
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TeamNL makes Dutch Olympic history: most medals ever won by the Netherlands

The Dutch Olympic Team didn’t come to play. This summer, medals and new records have flooded in from Tokyo — earning the Netherlands seventh place in this year’s medal standings.

Bringing home an impressive 36 medals, this year’s team is the highest-ranking in Dutch Olympic history, reports the NOS.

The big winners: athletics and swimming

This year, the Dutch athletics and swimming teams brought in the most medals.

Especially the Dutch athletes made their names known on the Olympic podium. In the marathon, Abdi Nageeye took everyone by surprise as he picked up the pace last-minute, surpassed the competition, and won a silver medal. Sifan Hassan scored the first Olympic athletes gold in 29 years when she won the 5,000 metres race. Later she added another gold for the 10,000 metres race and bronze for the 1,500 to her medal collection.

Meanwhile, the Dutch cycling delegation won the most medals in Tokyo, appearing on the Olympic podium and impressive 12 times! On the track, Harrie Lavreyson made Olympic history by winning the first cycling sprint for the Netherlands since 1932. Like Sifan Hassan, he took home two gold medals and one bronze.

Dutch Olympic history crash course

Throughout the summer, TeamNL has written Olympic history. While the first days of the games were looking rather bleak for the Dutch team, all changed on July 28. This was the most successful Olympic day in almost 100 years for the Netherlands and proved to be the boost the Dutch needed.

The Netherlands has been among the top ten medal earners in the Olympics only five times before. In both 2000 and 1928, they took eighth place, and in 1920, 1924, and 1936 they ranked ninth.

The last time TeamNL took home a record-breaking amount of medals was in Sydney in 2000. Then, 25 medals were placed in Dutch hands. Beating that number by 11 this year is both due to more games being scheduled in Tokyo and impressive Dutch sportsmanship.

What was your favourite Dutch victory at the Olympics? Tell us in the comments below!

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Netherlands on track for wettest summer in history (but warm days are on the way!)

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Netherlands on track for wettest summer in history (but warm days are on the way!)

Feel like this year’s summer in the Netherlands hasn’t been very summery? Well, you’re right! In fact, it’s never rained as much in a Dutch summer as it has this year.

With over 50 millimetres of rain falling on the Netherlands on 15 different days, we’ve set a new record, Weerplaza meteorologist Rico Schröder tells AD. That’s putting us on track for the wettest summer ever.

(Oi, stop booing us, we’re just the messengers!) 📣

And let’s be clear — these are not the records we want to be breaking (unlike at the Olympics!). We spent enough of last year cooped up inside. Now that we’re vaccinated, we just want some sunshine. 🌤

READ MORE | Record-breaking rainfall leads to flooding in Limburg

A brief history of wet, hot, Dutch summers

Cast your minds back to the summer of 2006, when Da Vinci Code was the hottest movie release, a new site called Twitter.com launched, and the iPod shuffle was revolutionary — got a mental picture?

The summer of 2006 was also the last time more than 50 millimetres of rain fell on the country on 14 days. The only time before that was all the way back in 1917.

This year, we’re heading for the top spot. “The amount of rain that has fallen is not yet record-worthy,” says meteorologist Roosmarijn Knol. “Although it does feel very wet.”

And if you’ve been in the Netherlands a few years and are confused about what happened to those hot summer days from last year and the year before — well, Knol says that we’ve become spoiled.

“Last summers were record-breakingly dry,” she says.

So will this year’s summer be record-breakingly wet? We won’t know for sure until September 1 when the meteorological summer is over — but fingers crossed we still get some nice days in! 🤞

Warm weather on the way

Buuuut, that’s not happening just yet. Monday will be 18-20 degrees with clouds and downpours from the southwest. Tuesday will get some brief shows of sunshine, but with local showers and a chance of thunderstorms.

So sit tight for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! According to Weerplaza, most of the country will be dry on these days, and temperatures should rise. Some places may even be sunny and 25 degrees.

How have you found this year’s Dutch summer? Tell us in the comments below!

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Free rapid tests for everyone! Courtesy of the Dutch Ministry of Health

Chloe Lovatt 🇬🇧
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Free rapid tests for everyone! Courtesy of the Dutch Ministry of Health

You get a test, you get a test, and you get a test! From tomorrow the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is offering two free rapid self-tests per household in the Netherlands.

The aim is to prevent you from unknowingly spreading coronavirus, especially if you have come back from a holiday abroad.

How do I get my free tests?

Between tomorrow and September 1, you will receive a letter from the Ministry of Health with information about your free self-tests. The letter states that your household is entitled to two free self-tests and contains a unique code for ordering.

You can register for your free tests on Zelftestenbestellen.nl, where you can the unique code at the top of your letter. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the letter which will take you directly to the website.

When will my tests arrive?

If you’ve ordered your self-tests a week ago and they’ve still not arrived, don’t stress. They will take between seven and 10 days to pop through your post slot.

Luckily, you won’t have to sit around waiting for the post, as they fit easily through the letterbox. Official tests will arrive packaging from the Ministry of Health.

The RIVM recommends that if your self-test is positive or inconclusive to book a PCR test.

What do you think of free self-tests? A good idea? Are these enough per household? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

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How to register a birth in the Netherlands

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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0
How to register a birth in the Netherlands

You’ve got a precious bundle of joy on the way (or maybe it’s already arrived!). Either way, you’ll need to register your baby’s birth if you’re living in the Netherlands.

Despite the magic of giving birth, you can be quickly brought back to reality when you realise that bringing a whole new human into the world also comes with a nice side order of paperwork.

That’s because, (and fair warning) if you don’t register the birth of your child with your local municipality within just a few days, you could be slapped with a fine.

Of course, that won’t happen: because this guide will tell you all you need to know about registering the birth of your child in the Netherlands!

READ MORE | 9 things to expect as an expat mother in the Netherlands

How long before I have to register the birth of my child?

Once you’ve popped the non-alcoholic champagne, chomped down some beschuit met muisje (sugared aniseeds on a kind of biscuit that are traditional when celebrating babies in the Netherlands), it’s time to get down to business.

You have to register the birth of your child within three days. If you can’t register because of a public holiday or the weekend, you must register the first working day afterwards.

If you don’t register the birth within this time frame, you could be facing a penalty (ouch!). After all, babies are expensive enough as it is. 😉🍼

Who can register a birth in the Netherlands?

The only people who can ask for a birth to be registered in the Netherlands is:

  • the mother or father,
  • someone who was present at the birth, like a friend or relative,
  • someone who lives at the house where the child was born,
  • the head of a hospital or their representative.

Unfortunately, that means your super-friendly and overly-helpful neighbour can’t take on this task for you. Wat jammer!

How to register a birth in the Netherlands

Luckily, registering your child’s birth in the Netherlands is pretty simple. You’ll need to make an appointment at your local municipality (gemeente). This is where you registered when you arrived in the Netherlands.

If you can’t remember the name of your local municipality, simple search: “gemeente [city name]”. Many municipalities offer websites in English, but if yours doesn’t you can search the website for “geboorteaangifte” (birth registration).

You’ll typically have to make an in-person appointment to register your new child’s birth.

What will I need to bring to register a birth in the Netherlands?

Whether you’ve got an unfortunate case of baby brain or not, you’ll need these documents to make sure your appointment goes as planned:

  • Valid identification (a passport, ID card, driver’s licence) of the person registering the birth.
  • Valid identification (a passport, ID card, driver’s licence) of the person who gave birth.

It can also be useful (but isn’t compulsory) to bring:

  • a birth notification from the hospital or midwife with the child’s birth names and date and time of birth,
  • if you have it, a declaration of acknowledgement of parentage or declaration of surname choice if these were decided before the birth.

Tip! You may like to write down the name of your new child and bring it with you just to be ultra-sure there are no mistakes made around the name or spelling.

At the end of the appointment, the gemeente will print your child’s official birth certificate. Congrats, you officially have a child! 👶

How much does it cost to register a birth in Holland?

Here’s a word the Dutch love: “gratis!”

Registering a birth in the Netherlands is completely free. That’s enough to make you say hoera! 🎉

At the appointment, the gemeente will kindly print your birth certificate. Now you can tick off register birth from your to do list!

Finally, and even more good news, there are free baby boxes (gratis babydozen) available for pregnant women! Yes, now go and enjoy your little bundle of joy!

Have you registered a birth in the Netherlands? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2018, and was fully updated in August 2021 for your reading pleasure.
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Image: Wavebreakmedia/Depositphotos

Dutch Dance teacher demands vaccination certificates from students

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
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Dutch Dance teacher demands vaccination certificates from students

The dance teacher and owner of the CoraSon dance school in Utrech, Peter Vlug, decided only to open his classes to people with a vaccination certificate.

A heated debate about the legality of that decision has followed, and Vlug has been subject to a number of intimidating behaviours, reports the NOS.

Anonymous calls and insults

On the Facebook page of CoraSol, Vlug received hundreds of reactions to his decision. A few days ago, Vlug announced on Facebook that he’d had to disable visitor comments on the page because of the “flood of nasty messages” he’d received there. However, he also heard from people who supported the demand for vaccination certificates.

In addition to the Facebook messages, Vlug has been called “a son of Hitler” and received a phone call from a stranger telling him that he’d risk facing the death penalty for his actions.

Also, Twitter is brimming over with reactions to Peter Vlug:

“Boycott Peter Vlug and his dance school,” and in reply, “amazing decision by peter vlug, can I sign up?”

Stands by his decision

Despite the intimidation, Vlug told the NOS that he is responsible for creating a safe dance environment for his students. His dance school doesn’t accept a recovery certificate or negative test results after the mixups that occurred during previous rounds of government relaxations. Vlug doesn’t trust coronavirus tests to be accurate enough to create such an environment.

In fact, Vlug says he’d be willing to go to court over his door policies. If it came to a lawsuit over this decision, he’d be happy to take it on as he believes it would be for a good cause.

Vlug is hoping that, if it came to a lawsuit, it would serve as an opportunity to create more clarity about measures entrepreneurs can take.

Grey area

So which measures can entrepreneurs in the Netherlands legally take at this moment? Well, that’s…unclear.

According to Martin Buijsen, professor of health law at the Erasmus School of Law, there are doubts about whether shops, gyms, hairdressers, and other companies can require vaccination certificates from customers.

On one hand, an advisory report from the Dutch Health Council says that private organisations have a duty of care towards their customers or visitors. According to Buijsen this means they could ask for vaccination certificates — if there were no other alternatives.

But there are alternatives he says.

So, on the other hand, private organisations could care towards their customers by asking for test or recovery certificates. Moreover, there is no vaccination requirement in the Netherlands.

What do you think of the demand for vaccination certificates? Will the debate force greater clarity about measures in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!

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